Norm Augustine, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation and professor at Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, will share his unique perspective on the aerospace engineering industry in a speech tonight.

Augustine, who will speak at 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, will give a lecture titled “How the World Works … An Engineer’s Perspective.” It’s free and open to the public.

Pam Reinig, communications manager for engineering publication and communication services, said Augustine is known for his antics in an industry not used to loose cannons.

“He will have several amusing anecdotes to share. This is not just an engineering lecture,” Reinig said. “Other people, especially people in business or thinking about going into business, will benefit from what he has to say.”

Augustine has held numerous high-level positions in government and private industry, including an 18-year career at Martin Marietta. In his last seven years at the company, he served as chairman and CEO.

It was during that time that he brokered the largest merger in aerospace industry history, joining Martin Marietta and Lockheed together to form Lockheed Martin.

Thomas Rudolphi, professor and chairman of the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, said Augustine’s industry experience gives him a unique perspective.

“I think he will be poking fun at the industry in a tongue-and-cheek sort of fashion,” Rudolphi said. “He was a part of it and now views it as somewhat humorous.”

Rudolphi said the lecture should appeal to a wide variety of students, not just those intending to become engineers.

“It will be valuable because he has a perspective that is not one a normal person would have and not even one a normal engineer would have because of the positions he has held,” Rudolphi said.

Augustine is the T.A. Wilson Lecture series speaker for this year. The T.A. Wilson lecture series was established in 1996 by Wilson, a 1943 ISU graduate in aerospace engineering. Wilson was chief executive officer of Boeing, where he oversaw the production of the B-14 and B-53 bombers.

“When Wilson established the series, he recommended a number of lecturers, including Augustine, that he would like to see come to Iowa State,” Reinig said.